Name it the Nassau Colisino.
Las Vegas Sands has proposed turning the largely dormant Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale right into a on line casino as New York State considers functions to open three such amenities within the downstate area.
“We strongly believe Long Island can be home to one of the region’s great entertainment and hospitality developments,” stated Robert G. Goldstein, the corporate’s chairman and chief govt officer. “We are ready to work in a serious and transparent manner with the local community in an effort to bring an exciting new industry to Long Island.”
The announcement got here a few week after the state Gaming Fee issued a Request for Purposes for 3 Class III gaming amenities — full-fledged casinos with stay sellers — with a $500 million payment for every profitable applicant. Extra are prone to apply forward of the state’s Feb. 3 deadline.
The three downstate contracts have been amongst seven for casinos statewide that New Yorkers voted to permit in a 2013 referendum that amended the state structure to approve non-tribal casinos for the primary time. The proposal was largely supported on Lengthy Island with voters approving it by two-thirds of the vote. Fifty-seven p.c of voters statewide gave the state the go-ahead.
If it advances, the coliseum can be the primary Vegas-style on line casino on LI. Presently, the Island’s solely on line casino, Jake’s 58 in Islandia, is a Class II gaming facility that’s restricted to fit machines and digital gaming tables — no stay sellers. The Shinnecock Indian Nation is currently in the process of constructing the Island’s second Class II on line casino on its Southampton territory. Nassau briefly thought-about constructing a Class II facility in close by Westbury earlier than shelving the plan amid widespread group opposition.
The county-owned coliseum has remained largely unused, aside from the NBA G League’s Lengthy Island Nets and varied expos, because the coronavirus pandemic shutdown of 2020, which prompted billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and his Onexim Sports activities and Leisure to cancel its lease on the world. The setback got here three years after the coliseum reopened following a $260 million renovation to the 416,000-square-foot facility, considered one of a number of failed makes an attempt to maintain the NHL’s New York Islanders at the workforce’s authentic residence. The workforce now calls the brand new UBS Area in Elmont residence.
The Sands proposal is billed as a multi-billion-dollar flagship hospitality, leisure and on line casino mission, which would come with out of doors group areas, 4 and five-star resort rooms and a world-class stay efficiency venue. It will additionally function superstar chef eating places, experiential occasions, conference area, an expensive day spa, swimming pool and well being membership, and a wide range of different leisure programming. Casino gaming would take up lower than 10% of the mission’s whole sq. footage, the corporate stated. To advance its imaginative and prescient, the corporate has entered into agreements to buy the long-term lease of the 80-acre website.
“The plan envisioned by Sands is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create the kind of world-renowned entertainment and hospitality destination that has been sought after by Long Islanders,” stated Scott Rechler, CEO and chairman of RXR Realty, which is positioned throughout the road from the coliseum and has been concerned within the redevelopment plans.
The corporate touted the tax income and job creation potential of the plans and purpose of creating the constructing environmentally sustainable.
“Our goal will be to ensure that our supply chain is fulfilled from small businesses, minority-owned, women-owned as well as veteran and disabled entrepreneurs based locally so that our surrounding communities are central and fully participating in the success of this project,” former New York State Gov. David A. Paterson, who’s a Sands senior vp.